After the storm: healing in the Yarra Ranges

“To have Windermere was like a light at the end of the tunnel and made it a lot easier for us to move on."

In 2021, Yarra Ranges was the epicentre of one of the most devastating storm events in Victoria’s history. The violent storm swept across the area, destroying and damaging homes. In its aftermath, families were left displaced and devastated and Windermere was called upon to provide recovery support.

Marcia and her two children were one such family who received support after their family home was destroyed.

During the storm, Marcia’s daughter Willow, aged 20 at the time, had experienced a near miss as a large tree branch had fallen through the roof of the loft where she had been sleeping. To make matters worse, emergency services had not been able to reach them due to the severity of the storm, leaving them isolated and in fear for their lives.

In the wake of these traumatic events, Marcia was left to tackle the many bureaucratic roadblocks in accessing relief and funds needed to rebuild their lives. 

It was at this juncture that Windermere, a not-for-profit community service organisation came into contact with Marcia and Willow.

“I had never heard of specific support services for storm recovery, and it was a great comfort to know that there were people out there to help,” says Willow on being linked with Windermere.

“We were feeling so alone. Insurance companies are so hard to deal with and we felt like we weren’t being heard. When we met our support worker Tracey, it felt like we could finally take a breath.”

Through initial communications, Tracey learned that the family had already suffered a great loss prior to the storm. A reckless driver had robbed them of a loving father and husband just six months before and Marcia and Willow had been the first to arrive at the scene of the accident.

Dealing with the loss of their home was infinitely more difficult while grieving the loss of a loved one.

“We were grieving our dad and then we had to grieve the memories in that house. A house is brick and mortar, but the memories were also swept away from under us and that’s been the hardest part,” says Willow. 

In the face of all these difficulties they found in Tracey an empathetic ear and much-needed advocate.

With their consent, Tracey acted as the family’s representative and spent hours on the phone dealing with the insurance company to ensure they received adequate payouts. Linking the family with financial services and platforms and providing them with vouchers further helped them regain some of their household belongings.

“It felt like everything that was happening to us was in a different language and Tracey could speak that language."

"Just to have her reiterate things that had been said or reword it so that we could understand what was happening was a massive support. I can’t imagine where we’d be if we had to do that by ourselves,” says Willow.

Windermere also provided funding for Marcia and Willow to complete a first aid course as they wished to have the skills to assist someone in the event of an accident.

Tracey also provided Marcia, a grieving wife, psychological first aid with weekly phone calls to help her process her emotions. Marcia also attended Tracey’s six-week journalling group to work through her grief and trauma.

To help Willow find solace and release, Tracey recommended that she take part in the Big Anxiety festival’s Good Place/Hard Place, an augmented reality project inviting viewers into the lived experiences of individuals affected by natural disasters. Willow showed remarkable strength in sharing her story of trauma along with 3D images of their destroyed home.

“I got to meet all these amazing people and they like Windermere listened to what I had to say, and they wanted me share my story, which was comforting,” says Willow.

Her courage didn’t go unnoticed, and Willow was invited to speak at Exercise East, an event held for first responders to hear lived experiences to help them better support the community during a natural disaster.

“It was terrifying talking to men in uniform. Why would they care what a 20-year-old girl has to say? All I knew was that I had a story to tell.”

Willow’s speech was received with a standing ovation and the experience sparked her interest in community advocacy. Being the voice for others proved to be the outlet and relief that she needed.

“It was enlightening to know that what I had gone through meant something, that it wasn’t nothing and that something important could come from it.” 

In this way Willow drew comfort from the knowledge that sharing her story could help others in similar circumstances and she acknowledges Tracey for putting her on this path.

“Tracey gave me the courage to keep sharing my story and made me realise that I am not burdening anyone when I do and instead, I am letting others know that they are not alone.”

Her bravery in sharing her story to help others feel seen and heard, earned her the Young Citizen of the Year Award at the Yarra Ranges Council’s 2023 Australia Day Awards.

It wasn’t only Marcia and Willow who needed a helping hand, Marcia’s 16-year-old son had been displaying behavioural changes after losing his father. Tracey provided referrals so that he could access relevant support as well.  The family is now on a path to recovery and have now settled into their new home.

Marcia has gone on to develop friendships with other storm affected residents after exchanging contact numbers during a farewell luncheon that Tracey hosted for her group.  The family is deeply grateful for Windermere and for Tracey’s deep compassion and far-reaching support.

“To have Windermere was like a light at the end of the tunnel and made it a lot easier for us to move on. Tracey is one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met and it was validating to know that we weren’t alone,” says Willow.

For anyone facing their difficulties alone Willow says that asking for help can make all the difference.

“You might think that you are dealing with it, but the moment someone takes just a little weight off your shoulders, you realise just how heavy everything is. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

 

Windermere has provided emergency response work following the 2020 bushfires and 2021 storm events. Winderemere is currently engaged in providing services in response to the 2022 October floods fielding over 3,000 calls and supporting over 900 households. For more information visit here.